Freeway

In the May 3 edition of the Valley Sun there was an article on the 710 study by Mercedes Aguilar ( “Details slim on 710 study ). One thing that is being overlooked in the extension of the 710 freeway is that the crime rate will increase. Criminal activity increases near freeways and this will just bring more of a criminal element into the area because they will have easier access and a quick avenue by which to get away. Pat Hill Glendale

Although I agree with Assemblyman Anthony Portantino that a tunnel for the 710 extension is wrong (“Caltrans can't be trusted with the 710,” Aug. 26), I have to differ with his letter about the 710 extension being built. The extension would solve a transportation problem by lessening traffic on the 5 Freeway between the 2 and 10 freeways, and easing traffic on the 210 Freeway on the western edge of Pasadena. As it is now, there is one main path for southbound traffic, and that is the 5 Freeway.

In the L.A. Times last weekend, a column about the perils of air pollution said , “The World Health Organization has declared air pollution a carcinogen like tobacco smoke, asbestos and arsenic, calling it a leading cause of cancer deaths globally.” Caltrans keeps telling us that connecting the Long Beach (710) Freeway to the Foothill (210) Freeway, which will result in a huge increase of freeway traffic through our city, including the tripling of big-rig truck traffic, won't result in more air pollution.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority hosts an open-house meeting at 10 a.m. Saturday about the study of the so-called 710 Gap. Metro and Caltrans are engaged in a three-year environmental study of alternatives for connecting the Long Beach (710) Freeway to the Foothill (210) Freeway, including a possible 4.5-mile freeway or tunnel connection, improved rail, and mass-transit alternatives. The meeting takes place in the auditorium at La Cañada High School, 4463 Oak Grove Drive.

Elected officials from La Cañada Flintridge and two other cities are sitting on an advisory committee for the study of the so-called 710 Freeway gap, despite an initial request from county transportation officials that political leaders not play a role. City Councilwoman Laura Olhasso represented the city at a July 20 Stakeholder Outreach Advisory Committee meeting, organized by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Agency. In setting up the group, Metro in May asked cities to assign planning commissioners or staffers to the role, a request that Councilman Donald Voss said was “cheeky.” Olhasso, who is an alternate to the committee behind Voss, said the council wanted to be as close to the decision-making process as possible.

La Cañada Flintridge's role on an advisory board addressing the proposed extension of the Long Beach (710) Freeway is off to a bumpy start. City Council members voted unanimously on Monday to buck a request by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Authority to swap out their preferred representatives for the State Route 710 Stakeholder Outreach Advisory Committee. The group's first meeting is Friday. In March, the council appointed three of its own members to serve on the advisory committee despite Metro's insistence that the 17 participating cities send planning commissioners, not elected officials.

More than 60 people on Monday packed La Cañada High School for an update on the proposed extension of the Long Beach (710) Freeway - a long-simmering issue on which many communities already have staked out positions. The effects of closing the gap between the 710 and Foothill (210) freeways will be disclosed in the coming months as state and county transportation officials prepare a draft environmental impact report, organizers of the meeting said. Alternatives for closing that gap that are being studied include a 4.5-mile surface extension - a proposal that appears to be all but politically dead - a tunnel extension under South Pasadena, new transit and rail lines, or upgrades to surface streets.

In a letter to Caltrans Monday, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) urged transportation officials to extend the amount of time cities will have to respond to an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) related to the 710 Freeway expansion project , expected to be released this spring. Currently, members of the public have 60 days to respond to the report's conclusions. Cities or agencies who wish to conduct their own studies to analyze those findings are held to the same time window. Schiff addressed his letter to Carrie Bowen, the director of District 7 overseeing Los Angeles and Ventura counties, requesting the period be extended to 120 days to allow for an adequate response.

A Glendale man was arrested Thursday afternoon for allegedly driving under the influence after his car struck the center divider of the Foothill (210) Freeway in La Cañada Flintridge and burst into flames, according to a California Highway Patrol spokesman. The crash took place several minutes after the suspect first bounced his sedan off the center divider wall near the Olive Avenue offramp of the southbound 5 Freeway in Burbank, at about 2 p.m., according to CHP Officer Kevin Denmon.

More than 60 people turned out at La Cañada High School Monday night to speak their minds and get the latest on the proposed extension of the Long Beach (710) Freeway. Mostly what they heard is that details will be revealed at future meetings as the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority and Caltrans prepare an environmental report for filling the so-called “710 gap” between Alhambra and Pasadena. The study will consider alternatives from a 4.5-mile freeway to the Foothill (210)

Not being a big fan of xeriscaping (I much prefer English cottage gardens), but wanting to seriously reduce my outdoor landscape watering, I discovered a wonderful source of free mulch through the Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation's Lopez Canyon Environmental Center located at 11950 Lopez Canyon Road, at the east end of Paxton Street, off the 210 Freeway in Lake View Terrace. For more information, log on to lacitysan.org/srpcd/MC_lopezCanyon.htm . There you'll find information on the entire process with a link to the 11 locations where people can pick up as much free mulch as they can haul away.

In a letter to Caltrans Monday, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) urged transportation officials to extend the amount of time cities will have to respond to an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) related to the 710 Freeway expansion project , expected to be released this spring. Currently, members of the public have 60 days to respond to the report's conclusions. Cities or agencies who wish to conduct their own studies to analyze those findings are held to the same time window. Schiff addressed his letter to Carrie Bowen, the director of District 7 overseeing Los Angeles and Ventura counties, requesting the period be extended to 120 days to allow for an adequate response.

The city of La Cañada Flintridge has joined four other cities - Glendale, Pasadena, South Pasadena and Sierra Madre - in an alliance designed to respond quickly and efficiently to the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) underway by Metro and Caltrans related to the 710 Freeway Tunnel Project. The report is expected to be released sometime this spring. Once it is, local officials are expecting to have just 90 days to review the massive document and conduct their own studies in response.

The body of a man found on the Foothill (210) Freeway in Pasadena early Wednesday was identified as 40-year-old La Cañada Flintridge resident Jeremy Hill, according to the county coroner's office. The death was ruled as a suicide from multiple traumatic injuries, according to Lt. David Smith with the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office. Hill's body was discovered in the roadway at about 3 a.m. on the westbound Foothill (210) Freeway at Windsor Avenue and appeared to have been struck by at least one car, California Highway Patrol officer Francisco Villalobos told the Los Angeles Times . It was unclear if he was dead before he was struck, Villalobos added.

Authorities were investigating a body found on the Foothill (210) Freeway in Pasadena early Wednesday. The victim, who was not immediately identified, was discovered in the roadway about 3 a.m. on the westbound 210 Freeway at Windsor Avenue, California Highway Patrol Francisco Villalobos told the Los Angeles Times . He was described as possibly in his 30s and was "struck by at least one car," Villalobos told The Times. It was unclear...

The construction of three sound walls along the Foothill (210) Freeway in La Cañada Flintridge is expected to start in the next couple of months. The City Council voted on Monday to accept a bid from Griffith Company for $3.3 million to complete the work. Council members also voted to dip into the city's general fund reserves, if necessary, to close the gap between the budgeted amount for the project and the lowest bid received. An additional $380,425 may be needed to construct all three sound walls, according to a staff report.

A project intended to shield noise from the Foothill (210) Freeway in La Cañada Flintridge has faced a setback. The City Council on Monday night voted to reject a bid from a contractor for the construction of three sound walls along the freeway. The project will be re-advertised in hopes of attracting more bidders. Construction could begin as early as December. The move is expected to save the city hundreds of thousands of dollars, while allowing city officials the option to compare multiple bids for the project.

In the L.A. Times last weekend, a column about the perils of air pollution said , “The World Health Organization has declared air pollution a carcinogen like tobacco smoke, asbestos and arsenic, calling it a leading cause of cancer deaths globally.” Caltrans keeps telling us that connecting the Long Beach (710) Freeway to the Foothill (210) Freeway, which will result in a huge increase of freeway traffic through our city, including the tripling of big-rig truck traffic, won't result in more air pollution.

I have a daily commute that takes me through the intersection of Hampton Road and Foothill Boulevard. In the vicinity of this intersection is a designated parking lot, located under the 210 Freeway overpass, for the Flintridge Preparatory School. When school is in session, traffic congestion in this area becomes extremely problematic in the mornings, typically around 8 a.m. In addition to the regular traffic flows, there are competing flows to the school that aggravate the normal rate of traffic congestion in the area.

If transportation officials opt to extend the Long Beach (710) Freeway with a tunnel, La Cañada Flintridge leaders are prepared to fight the project, which they say could have a serious environmental impact on the city. The City Council on Monday night approved setting aside $500,000 for litigation and other costs related to protecting the city from the project. The designation does not affect the city's budget and no money will be spent until the council approves the amount at a future meeting.